Team Lisa

Hi, my name is Lisa Bolen, and I have metastatic breast cancer. In non-medical terms, that's Stage IV breast cancer that has spread to other parts of my body. Sounds like an AA meeting, I know! Six years ago, I battled breast cancer and went into remission. Unfortunately, the cancer decided it was going to return with a vengeance. This is my story, written by a friend, because right now I have to focus on living, on breathing, on being a mom, a sister, a daughter, and a fighter. I'm going to live every single moment that I can. Thank you for helping me and my family!

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She’s battling things her contagious smile will never tell you about.

There is strength in her heart and determination in her eyes. The will to survive this battle resides deep within her soul.

We need your help because Lisa’s fight is going to be a tough one. Her symptoms – the way she even discovered the cancer was back – have repeatedly taken her to the Emergency Room for treatment that will help her to simply breathe. Her cancer isn’t just back. It’s in 4 places in her body, and each is requiring it’s own battle. Because of the focus she’s had to give her treatment, she hasn’t been able to work this first 4-6 weeks, and we anticipate that being the situation a little while longer. Fighting in the way she’s being called to, while still raising and preparing for the future of her two children, comes at a great cost. And that’s where you come in.

Lisa’s family and two closest friends have been with her nonstop since the diagnosis, a reality that her condition requires, but we know there are many more of you who would like the opportunity to help. In fact, so many of you have asked how you can help and what you can do that we decided to call on our army of support for help. We want to do ANYTHING we can to give Lisa the best chance at a long fight, so she can have as many months (and maybe years) as possible with her loved ones. Time is precious, but it isn’t without cost.

As you know, Lisa would never put herself first. First come the needs of her two beloved children, Tripp and Addison. She wants to see them grow up, but she also wants to know they’ll be taken good care of when she can no longer be here to provide for them.

To give you an idea of a typical week in Lisa’s life at the moment, she is taking chemo daily, having 2-4 doctor’s appts, recovering from radiation, and having her lung tapped 1-2 times. She struggles with the simplest of tasks. We’re hoping all of these situations improve once the aggressive treatment begins to take effect. For now, though, given her inability to work due to her general health and constant medical appointments, there is an urgent and immediate need to help with basic living expenses.

While we are praying Lisa will be able to return to work in a few months, she needs help bridging that gap. However, the reality that we all know is that at some point Lisa may not feel well enough to work anymore. During those times, the funds you donate will help her keep a roof over her head and provide for the needs of her children. During this battle, Lisa is hopeful to maintain some sort of normalcy for Tripp and Addison, including attending their travel sports weekends (when she feels well enough) and giving them as normal a life as possible. She doesn’t want to miss a single moment to show how proud she is of the young man and woman who are so very blessed to call her mom.

When Lisa asked me if I could help her set up her GoFundMe page, I of course didn’t hesitate for a second. I would do anything for her, as I'm sure many of you would, including trade places if there was any possible way that I could. You see, Lisa has the scars from her first battle against cancer. And the biggest, deepest scars aren’t visible to the naked eye, because Lisa is a woman of great strength. She shows courage in the midst of her fear. She doesn’t want you to see her scars, because she gives the best of herself to everyone she meets. She is a woman of faith, and she knows that God will catch her when she falls. She wears grace like it’s a designer ballgown. She knows she is strong enough for the journey, but she also knows that in the journey she will become strong. Sadly, she’s been down this familiar path before. Even more tragic, we know it doesn’t lead to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But as anyone who knows Lisa knows, when you ask about her scars, she’ll most certainly laugh and tell you they came from a pirate attack, or a matrix-style bullet dodging top-secret mission where she was just trying to drive the getaway car, or she’ll blame them on a really intense game of Twister. Come on, you all know what I’m talking about! Lisa is optimistic and upbeat to a fault. “But enough about me,” she’ll say, “tell me how your day was?” When you want to scream at her to stop being so amazing because you know deep inside she’s breaking and putting forth only her most convincing poker face.

For this new battle, she needs to borrow some strength, because she is tired. The Lord says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -- Joshua 1:9

Lisa, today and every day you are deeply loved by so many, you are always thought of, and you will be prayed for by so many who have been fortunate to meet you and love you. More fervently and passionately than we knew possible. You will never fight this battle alone, because we are your sisters, your brothers, your mothers, your fathers, your daughters, your sons, your friends, your confidants, your “I’ll drive the getaway car” person. We stand together with you, beside you, in front of you, to tell cancer it can &%CK off if it thinks you’re going down without a fight. We have all met a few assholes in life, but cancer is by FAR the biggest one of them. They say God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. I believe that’s true. I also believe he gives the battles to the ones who are the most loved, because soldiers don’t fight battles alone. They gather a whole army behind them and they forge forward with strength, perseverance, courage, and determination. Your army, Lisa, is full of people rooting for you. People donning pom poms to cheer you on. People praying every night and lighting candles for you at church. People who will happily wear shirts right alongside you that say “The cough comes from the other "C" word.”

Heavy is the crown and yet Lisa wears it as if it were a feather. You are a warrior, a champion, a fighter, a queen. Please help this beautiful soul continue to share her light with the world. We all need a little more Lisa time.